It will take several years to bring the Canadian military’s stockpile of ammunition up to where it should be, according to a new report from the auditor general.
With the current gaps, the financial watchdog said Canada is far behind on its commitments made to its NATO allies for collective defence.
In the report, released Thursday, Canada’s Auditor General Karen Hogan said a flawed inventory management system, dysfunctional data analysis and contracts plagued with inefficiencies has resulted in the Department of National Defence (DND) not knowing how much ammunition it has or needs, or how to get more.
“These findings are like the importance of sound planning and acting on known problems before an emergency occurs,” she told reporters Thursday. “Responding to immediate needs is important, but so is being prepared for future challenges.”
“It’s time for National Defence to get all these administrative matters ironed out so that they can make the best use of the funding that they have.”
The auditor general’s office first started sounding the alarm on the inefficiencies two decades ago. In 2024, the government dedicated $9.2 billion over 13 years to support strategic stockpile replenishment.
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But Hogan said the current pace at which contracts are being awarded is not sufficient to meet demands.
Public Services and Procurement Canada had four strategic source agreements with Canadian companies to produce ammunition through the Munitions Supply Program, according to the audit. But two of those four agreements had expired over three years ago, Hogan said.
The report found there is a major discrepancy in the supply of munitions for training exercises and munitions to be used in combat.
Five Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) groups accounted for 87 per cent of the total regular-use ammunition assigned by quantity in the 2023-24 to 2025-26 fiscal years, the report said.
Within those groups, only 56 per cent of their assigned regular‑use ammunition was used in the same period.
Hogan said some of the excess inventory can be used in an emergency, but not all training ammunition is lethal.
The auditor general looked at 100 different types of stockpile admission and found it was lacking required types and quantities required to meet targeted operational requirements.
“For national security reasons, I can’t talk to you about the specifics of where there are critical gaps, but there are critical gaps in some of the ammunition,” Hogan said.
In response to the report, Defence Minister David McGuinty said he agrees with the auditor general’s six recommendations and is already acting upon them.
“We’re going to have to make sure we marry that production capacity with the storage, transportation and use of information,” he said. “There’s progress to be made and we intend to fully implement these recommendations.”
Of course there is, the liberals gave it all to Ukraine.
Yet another manufacturing industry we have allowed to die in Canada in the last 50 years.
We have no capacity to make ammunition. Guess where we would buy it from?
Better hurry up production – war is coming here & worldwide. We had to for WW1 & 2!
Something is wrong with the whole Ukraine thing. Selensky either needs to surrender or resign. He’s getting too fat over this war.
Overall Canadian naivety and the thought that the Septic’s would protect us has led us to being little more that the laughing stock the world thinks we already are. We cannot – and won’t – defend ourselves in case it keeps one of our precious and DEI aware angels (apparently already hero’s) has to stay up past their bedtime. Unification and the successive failing of all Canadians to understand that an ability to defend oneself in any world, is crucial, it has been so since the dawn of time – no amount of legal drugs will erase that fact.
Under this current government, of we were to come under foreign attack we would end up surrendering within days, because this government only knows how and prepared to detain and emprison its own citizens.
@On the side lines. You don’t know her, haven’t worked under her and yet you comment on her leadership and qualifications?
This is not a new issue
Carney appointed a female as the head General of our Canadian Armed Forces. A DEI hire. Here is a crazy idea, how about a male career infantry soldier who has done his time and climbed the ranks thru merit?
As long as we keep this liberal lunacy in power we will never get our military back on track. They will just keep talking and doing nothing.
Yet Carney boast the CAF is a fully equipped fighting force
There are so many things this useless Liberal fascist government has screwed up for Canada. We have critical shortages here because they give every thing to F*CKIN UKRAINE! They refuse to put our tax dollars to work here with munitions plants and the like to equip OUR OWN FORCES!! They think we can simply import everything and beg other countries for military support! Carney and these damned Liberal swine are killing this country! Giving away the farm! They are chasing away industry! TIME TO GET RID OF THESE ANTI CANADIAN MOTHERF *CKERS!
I always figured that the liberals were giving away our munitions to Ukraine and the EU. Now we have to pay a 100 billion entry fee to join the EU and pay a fuel tax of 66 cents a litre.
In Canada, the munitions are like the budget…
they balance themselves.
I always figured that Justin Trudeau’s gov was letting the ammunition stocks drain away and not replace them. Looks like Carney and friends continue the practice.
Oh well, the Liberals have been changing the once proud soldiers of Canada’ miltary into hewers of wood and haulers of water anyway.
Do your part fellow canatards, save your turds we’ll launch them with a canatard made catapult